| I just went to a physiotherapist about this very issue, here's what I was told. First, I've been experiencing a dull pain shooting up the BACKS of my hands to my wrists, following the middle finger. This may or may not be what you have, and I recommend looking into this yourself. It cost me 80 CAD to visit a physiotherapist and it was worth every penny. If you are going to be typing for the next 5, 10 years or longer (here's hoping we get a better input system...) I urge you to visit at the first bit of pain. Onto the diagnoses. A primer on the human body: the nerves and blood vessels that get to your hands come from your spinal cord. To get there they must pass under the collarbone and above the first rib. My problem is that I have a slight posture problem (no one has ever noticed it) where my shoulders slouch forward a bit. This is very common for people that use the computer a lot, and it was compounded by my height (6'3''). As I am a tall person, I slouch while talking to people, inspecting things, pretty much whenever I do anything in a world built for the average sized guy. This posture problem results in a small constricting of the space between the collarbone and the first rib - putting pressure on the blood vessels and nerves going through there. This causes extra strain whenever you pull on these items (which you do while moving the fingers). To make matters worse I do not do a lot of upper body exercise. I run 3k a day and bike about an hour and a half, but none of these tasks work my back muscles. While typing for extended periods of time these muscles recognize they are not needed and 'shut off' to conserve energy. If they were used more they would not be shut off as quick. When they are shut off the shoulders slouch more. I was recommended a series of stretches to help the constricting of the blood vessels and nerves. I was also recommended to start swimming regularly to build muscle. I have also started using the program "instant boss" (quick and dirty program) to have a 10 and 2 schedule - 10 minutes on and 2 off. I follow it religiously. I'd define the stretches but my hands are hurting a bit and I need to stop typing. I do recommend seeing a physiotherapist yourself though to get customized stretches that fit your body type. Take breaks, really read up on ergonomics. Hope this helps. |